Bad kids should be kicked off airplanes

Here we go again, with another family crying foul because they were removed from a flight because their kid could not behave. A 3-year old boy was fussy and wouldn't sit still on an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle. The toddler was in his seat belt but continued to try to get out of it. His father admits that he was crying and cranky. At one point he was lying across the seat with the belt near his neck. The child was seated in back with his father and his mother was seated up front with a sibling. Flight attendants tried to help by moving the boy's mother.

According to reports, the flight attendants spoke to the parents three or four times before the pilot returned the plane to the gate and asked the family to leave the plane. The parents tried to argue that the boy was calm and seated. The airline crew was concerned the boy didn't want to sit down and keep his seat belt on. The pilot said that he would perfer to deal with the issue on the ground as opposed to midflight. The family was offered the option of taking another flight, but they declined.

Earlier this year, there was another incident where a 2-year old child was throwing a tantrum and would not sit still and the family was kicked off a JetBlue flight. The parents went on the Today Show to vent their frustations about the incident. The Today Show did a poll and 70% of the respondents agreed with the airline. If you watch the entire video, you will see that the parents can't figure out how the keep the kids seated even on TV.

Why do people with kids think that they can inconvenience others without consequences? I was on an 8 hour flight from Italy with not one but two crying infants that cried for the entire flight, with the exception of the last 30 minutes. I wish that those two families could have been removed from the flight. People were literally standing in the aisles holding their heads and ears! While I felt sorry for the parents, there were hundreds of others being tortured on that flight.

When your children are in public and they are misbehaving and annoying others, you need to make your kid behave or leave. People pay a lot of money to fly for business and pleasure and your kid misbehaving is an unwanted nuisance! While families pay for flights as well, children must behave and abide by the rules. What if a kid took off his seatbelt and jumped out of his seat during takeoff? Crew members would have to risk their own safety to get him back in his seat. It's a safety issue people! While you are trying to get your child to sit down and behave, others are at risk of missing connecting flights, meetings and various other important appointments. How long do these parents think that they can delay a flight while they try to get their kid to behave?

Parents, if you are planning to travel with your toddler or young child and this is their first flight, please contact me at goodandbadparents@gmail.com. I will give you some great tips to have a wonderful flight with your child. Each of my children have been travelling since they were 6 months old. My husband and I receive compliments every time we fly with our children. People always say what well behaved children we have. I must caution. If your toddler or young child is out of control at home, my methods won't work and you should just drive on your vacation.

Comments

I think it's pretty ridiculous to criticize parents for babies crying. Babies who cry aren't misbehaving. They are crying for a reason, whether that's pain, fright, boredom. You can't reason with them, bribe them, explain consequences, etc. Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. Those parents paid for their tickets too. Why do they have less of a right to a flight than you do? Plus, lots of babies cry at the beginning of a flight but settle down. So you're saying you should immediately kick off any family with a crying child right off the bat? Pretty ridiculous. Should you kick off an adult who's disruptive? I was on an airplane once with a man who coughed every 5 seconds for 6 hours straight. It was incredibly disruptive, not to mention gross, but I certainly wouldn't have said he deserved to be kicked off. That's just one of the risks you assume when you're packed in a plane with hundreds of other passengers. If you want privacy, find another mode of transportation!

As for older children misbehaving, I agree some parents don't even try to stop things, and that's not fair to fellow passengers. But it's really hard to pass judgment on what is happening when you only see a small slice of time. Kids (and parents) who are traveling are not at their best. They're in a new environment, they might be scared, tired, hungry, or just plain off balance. Haven't you ever snapped at your spouse or co-worker or friend on a day you were out-of-sorts? Kids have the same problem but have an even harder time figuring out how to control those feelings. You really have no idea whether a family truly has encouraged and created this behavior or if it's a fluke thing brought on by stress.

That said, it's unfortunate but I agree a family should be removed if a child's behavior is compromising the safety of others. I can't even imagine how horrifyingly embarrassing that would be for the parents! Any who drag up a big stink about it probably don't understand the situation or are ego maniacs. But again, I think lumping all parents into that same pool is not very productive.

I never said that families with babies should be kicked off the plane right off the bat. After enduring 8 hours of two screaming babies, yes I wish that they had been removed from the flight! I won't apologize for that statement. Families are allowed to board first so that you have time to settle down on the flight. I don't think that parents properly plan for flights with their kids. I have flown with my children since they were 6 months old and we have travelled to a number different countries without incident. It can be done if you plan accordingly.

Traveling with children is so stressful. For most parents, that screaming toddler that is "torturing" you is the worst case scenario they had been dreading since the inception of their travel plans. We need to cut parents a break who are doing the best they can to keep the kid calm. (Seriously? Compromising the safety of others?)

Sure, parents who don't care who they bother have entitlement issues and should be criticized. But for most parents, they are doing what they can. They know their kid is bothering you and they are sweating it.

The reality is that its not your private jet. Its communal travel . You might have to put up with a crying kid, large seat neighbor, broken tray table, or smelly foot guy who takes his shoes off. That is just part of living in a society and sharing a service. We have to endure other humans from time to time.

I suggest packing an ipod and some ear plugs. When I travel with my kids, I bring some to share!

Safety? If you were a flight attendent and there was turbulence, would you want to be out of your seat trying to settle down an out of control kid?

I don't agree that it just comes with the territory. Some of these incidents can be avoided if the parents would plan better. We all know our children and how they behave. Don't plan a flight that will be at odds with your child's nap time if you know he is a terror when he is sleepy. I was on a flight where a kid kept kicking my seat. His father told me that all of my drinks would be on him because his kid was going to kick my seat. I politely declined the drinks and told the man that his kid was not going to continue to kick my seat. Maybe I get all of the flights with parents who don't care!

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Meet The Blogger

Tracy A. Stanciel

I live in Chicago with my husband and two daughters. My passion for parenting and education is what inspired me to start blogging. Parenting is an important responsibility that is not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, too many people take it lightly so I have lots of things to blog about.